Saving Grace
by TheButterKnife
Summary: Time Travel. Percy dies at Olympus during the final battle with Kronos. Peter wakes up, five years before the fateful battle in New York, after a peculiar dream about dying. And suddenly nothing is ever the same.
1. Chapter 1

I.

Percy is afraid. Kronos stands before him, wearing Luke's face, smiling. They are in the throne room of Olympus, and Percy knows that this is the moment the prophecy foretells. He could either save Olympus...or destroy it.

But he is more afraid for his friends. He knows they are fighting Kronos's army even now, and Annabeth is in the throne room with him, in danger.

Suddenly Kronos lunges, and Percy raises his sword just in time to block Backbiter. Percy knows that it is futile to fight; without knowing each other's weakness, neither can gain any ground.

And Kronos knew too. Kronos's face broke into an ugly smile as he lunged past Percy. Too late did Percy realize what the titan's plan was.

Annabeth's shriek ran out, terrified, and Percy turned back just in time to see Kronos raise his sword, preparing to strike at a defenseless Annabeth, lying prone on the floor, unmoving. Percy ran forwards, but he knew that it was too late. Any moment now, Kronos's sword would come down and Annabeth would meet a bloody and gruesome end.

But suddenly, the sword stops, mid-swing. Kronos takes a step back; one, two. And suddenly he is not Kronos anymore. Luke blinks, shocked, staring down at the terrified face of his best friend. Backbiter falls out of his hands, clanging on the ground hollowly.

"What...what have I done?" Luke looks at his hands, horrified. Percy runs over the Annabeth, checking her vitals, dropping his sword in his haste, but still wary of Luke. Suddenly Luke's eyes flash gold again, and Percy raises tenses, shielding Annabeth's body with his own.

Luke's strained voice whispers, "Give...give me...the dagger. I can't...Kronos is-" Luke coughs, and sinks to his knees.

Percy hesitates. Here is his enemy, on the floor, defenseless. "Please..."

Percy feels Annabeth's weak grip on his wrist, and feels cold steel touch his palm. Annabeth gazes up at him, smiling weakly, and Percy knows what he has to do.

He takes the dagger and hands it to Luke, who is shivering and gasping, holding his chest tight as his eyes flicker gold. Luke accepts it, and, without hesitation, undoes the buckles of his armor and stabs himself in the armpit.

There is a piercing, unearthly scream as Luke suddenly bursts into gold, molten and burning. Kronos is dying.

"Perseus Jackson..." Kronos howls, "If I must die...then I am dragging you down... _with me!_ " And suddenly Percy feels a searing in his eyes, and realizes that Kronos has revealed his true form. He turns away, closing them, but knows that it is too late.

A burning sensation begins to spread downwards, towards his chest. The fire blooms outwards, and Percy is burned from the inside out.

But he is not afraid of death. Behind him, Annabeth is screaming out his name. As long as she is safe, he is content.

Perhaps I will try for reincarnation, Percy thinks, and _accepts_.


	2. Chapter 2

II.

Peter wakes up with a gasp. He looks up...and the disappointed face of his history teacher gazes back at him.

Peter tries to offer a sheepish smile in return, but his teacher only shakes his head.

"I'll ask you again, as you were kindly paying close attention the first time. Which Greek goddess represents wisdom and battle strategy?"

Peter sighs. His dyslexia and ADHD made it hard for him to study. But there is something familiar...A wisp of memory, something about a wise girl, grey eyes and blonde hair...daughter of...And then it was gone. Like a dream, the thought vanishes and Peter still doesn't know the answer.

"Don't know? Well then, Johnson, you'd better study. The test is tomorrow, don't forget." The teacher turns away and walks back to the board.

"Psst!" Someone whispers, and Peter turns to see who it is. His best friend Silenos smiles back at him warmly, and mouths, "It's okay, you'll -" Suddenly the teacher walks by again, and Silenos quickly sits back on his chair properly. As soon as the teacher passes, Silenos leans forwards again and finishes, "-do fine!"

Peter grins, and reclines in his chair, facing forward. He tries to listen to the lesson, but all he can think of is blonde hair, grey eyes, and a warm feeling in his heart whenever he thinks of whoever those features could belong to.

Soon the bell rings, and the room suddenly fills with noise. Silenos hobbles over towards Peter on his crutches, and Peter slows down a little for his friend to catch up.

They make small talk on their walk home, but Peter doesn't really pay attention because all he can think of it blonde hair and grey eyes. When Peter looks at his friend Silenos again, there is another faint wisp of memory. Something about Silenos is familiar, like the way he walks on crutches or the way he can sprint down the hallway to the lunchroom when it's enchilada day.

And then suddenly there is a rustling beside them, and a huge black shadow leaps over the two and land right next to them, on the sidewalk. Peter steps back, and instinctively reaches into his pocket. But there is nothing there, and he curses as the black shadow lunges at him.

Silenos cries out as Peter is knocked over by the creature. Offhandedly, Peter wonders if Silenos was trying to imitate a goat, because his cry sounded awfully like a bleat.

But the giant creature is still on top of him, and, closer now, Peter can see that the creature is a large dog. Its eyes are like hot coals, burning with an eerie glow. _Hellhound_ , he thinks, but then frowns because he has never heard of that word before.

Peter struggles and tries to throw the dog off of him, but to no avail. The hound slowly lowers its massive head, opening its jaws. Peter can smell its acrid breath, can feel the saliva dripping onto his chest. When he closes his eyes, he can even imagine it sinking its teeth into his soft throat.

And through all this, Peter knows he can do nothing. Peter's arms are pinned, and he does not have the strength to fight the beast. Silenos had run off, presumably to find help. But Peter does not want any help. He does not want anyone to see him in this vulnerable, _weak_ position. He would rather die...

But Peter does not want to die, and this thought gives him renewed hope. The hellhound's jaws are almost completely around his throat now, and it slowly bites down, savoring the moment of fear and helplessness in its prey.

Peter does not hesitate. With a cry of rage towards his own weakness, he tears his arm away from under the beast. The beast instinctively bites down, and Peter groans as he feels the sharp points of the hound's teeth sink into his flesh.

Through the pain, Peter manages to grab the hellhound's foreleg, and pulls, hard. The hound whines in pain, and Peter can smell burning. But as the monster flinches backwards, it drags its teeth across Peter's wounded throat, and Peter's vision is blinded by white hot pain.

And suddenly there is shouting in the distance and the dog's weight on his chest suddenly disappears and suddenly he is being lifted by a pair of strong arms. He can hear frantic bleating and the drip, drip, drip of blood at his throat continues to bleed.

And then the darkness comes, whisking him away. Peter closes his eyes and relaxes, and begins to dream.


	3. Chapter 3

III.

 _Peter opens his eyes and there she is. The grey eyed blonde haired girl that is so familiar to him, yet whose name always seemed to escape him._

 _His mouth moves on its own accord: "Hey, Wise Girl...do you have a plan for this?"_

 _The grey eyed girl turns to face Peter, smiling. "Are you doubting me?"_

 _Peter desperately wants to ask for her name, wants to demand who she is, understand why this is happening. His mouth opens again, even though he never willed it to. "Of course not, it's just...The first capture the flag game..."_

 _The grey eyed girl laughs, and Peter smiles. "Oh don't worry, we'll definitely win. You are the hero of Olympus, aren't you?" And with that, she leans in, and gives him a chaste kiss on the cheek._

 _Peter can feel himself blushing, and tries to ask the girl what is happening, why his body isn't responding, but he can only smile back as the girl whisks away, laughing merrily._

 _And suddenly the landscape blurs together, and Peter opens his eyes to find himself somewhere new. There is a new girl, with electric-blue eyes and spiky black hair. Her name is on the tip of his tongue, but when Peter tries to remember, it always flees from him._

 _"Hey, Seaweed Brain," she says, fingering a small silver charm bracelet. "Don't you ever feel like it's too...much?"_

 _Peter frowns, and opens his mouth: "What do you mean? The world is saved, huzzah, and everything is back to normal. No more evil titans trying to destroy the world. It's peaceful."_

 _The girl rolls her eyes. "No, I mean...You're a hero. Don't you ever feel pressured? Like everyone is always watching you, waiting for you to make a mistake?"_

 _Peter shakes his head and says, "Nah...reputation doesn't matter to me. You guys...you guys are my friends, and that really is all that matters to me." But inside Peter is angry. His body continues to smile and speak, but inside, Peter is thinking, That would be nice. I've always wanted to be acknowledged, to be known, to be a_ hero _..._

 _"Whatever," the girls says, and the mood is suddenly lighter. "Hey, wanna spar? I learned some cool techniques the other day..."_

 _Peter reaches into his pocket to pull out something, but at soon as his hand lightly brushes over a cylindrical object, he is again whisked away._

 _The landscape settles into a grand, open hall. Peter looks out in awe at the large thrones that decorated the room. Each throne was seated by a large being, and Peter could feel the power that they emanated, the presence they commanded._

 _And then Peter turns to leave. No, wait, Peter wants to say, Go back. Those beings...Who are they? But Peter has no choice, because this body is not his own. He keeps moving until the doors are in sight._

 _Suddenly, he feels a hand lay on his shoulder. Peter turns around, and sees a man with kind green eyes and a warm smile. Peter opens his mouth and says, "Hey, dad."_

 _But Peter knows that he had never met before. His mother had always told him that his father was lost on a camping trip, that he never came home. But this man that stood before him, this powerful man, was familiar. Peter traced the contours of his "father's" face. He had never seen him before, yet he must have had. It was a confusing conundrum._

 _"You did good, my son." The man spoke with a deep tone, large and commanding. Peter felt a deep respect for the man's power._

 _"I didn't do it for you," Peter replied, but he doesn't know what he is talking about. Had he met his man before, done something for him before?_

 _The man only smiles sadly and pats Peter a few times on the shoulder. "I've always tried to look out for you, I really have. But Zeus's law...He forbade me from seeing you. But just remember, I'm always there. Wherever you are, know that I'm always looking over you, always protecting you. I'm proud of you, Percy."_

 _Peter frowns inwardly, because he has no idea what the man is talking about and the man had called him "Percy." This name resonated something within Peter. Something deep and sad, like an old soul._

 _And then the floodgates open. Peter remembers. He remembers everything. From the first time he saw a minotaur to the first time he died. From the first time he entered Camp Half-Blood and to the last time he left it. A whole lifetime of memories, reclaimed in an instant._

 _And then he remembers Annabeth. Thalia. Grover. Luke. The other countless friends and allies he had made through the course of his life as Percy. There is overflowing joy as Peter realizes he could reunite with his friends. He had died, but in this world, he is still alive._

 _He runs forwards, and suddenly his body is his own again, and he tears through the darkness, trying to find an escape. I must leave, he thinks, and find them. They must miss me so much after I had left them! He keeps running, until he sees something._

 _An entity._

 _Peter cannot see the body, but the pair of floating golden eyes alerts him to the presence of another being. And the old memories in him resurface, and a name is at the tip of his tongue._

 _"Kronos."_

 _The being shifts, as the darkness ripples around it. Peter takes a step back in fear. Nothing moves for an instant. Until everything explodes into gold._

 _Peters eyes start to burn and he begins to scream. There is a foul, thick liquid that drips from his eyes like petrol. The burning spreads down into his chest. His throat hurts, burns even, from his cries, but he cannot stop. There is too much pain._

 _I am dying, Peter thinks, and surrenders to the darkness._


	4. Chapter 4

IV.

"Hey Peter, you okay there?" Someone shakes him roughly by the shoulder, and Peter blinks awake.

"Oh, hey, Silenos. I had the weirdest...dream..." Peter trails off as he remembers. He looks around and realizes that he is in the infirmary. I need to tell Annabeth, Peter thinks, panicked. I've been gone so long...has she forgotten me?

Silenos seems to realize the expression of worry on Peter's face and pats him on the back. "Don't worry man, you're just in the infirmary. You passed out, remember? There was a giant dog..." Silenos starts to make large gestures and Peter guesses that he is trying to imitate the hellhound that attacked them.

But Peter really doesn't care. All he can think of is Annabeth, and how long it has been since he had last seen her. Twelve years. Twelve years he had been Peter, and twelve years he has been apart from her.

Silenos waves his hand in front of Peter's face. "You okay there? You look sort of out of it. Why don't you lay down? You'll feel better, promise."

Peter shakes his head and begins to stand. There is a sense of urgency in the motion. It has been twelve years, after all. Silenos picks up on this feeling and beings to worry.

"Hey, hey! You gotta rest. You got attacked yesterday, you know!" But Peter's mind is only thinking of Annabeth. He stands up forcefully, feeling slightly guilty for pushing his friend away.

Peter strides towards the door, and feels a twinge of pain on his side. I must not be completely healed, Peter thinks, but he does not care. He moves forwards purposefully, stepping out of the white room and out the door.

Silenos is behind him, shouting for him to return, and Peter ignores him in favor of his own objective. He hurries towards the direction of the Athena cabin.

Suddenly, someone bumps into him. "Oops, sorry, I _totally_ didn't mean that." Peter does not even need to look to know that it is Clarisse talking to him.

"Get out of my way," he mutters, "I don't have time for this."

Clarisse looks him over, raising an eyebrow. "Oh really? I haven't seen you before, are you the new kid? 'Cause there are some rules around here, you know."

Peter turns and begins to walk away. Clarisse reaches out and pushes him, making him stumble. "I _said_ , there are some rules around here. For starters -"

But Peter does not want to delay. "And _I_ said that I didn't have time for this." He tries to move away, but Clarisse will not let him go.

"It seems that I'll have to teach you a lesson in respect," Clarisse says, bringing her hands up. Peter realizes that Clarisse wants to fight him and will not stop pursuing him until they battle. He reluctantly raises his fists.

Clarisse takes the first strike. She lunges nimbly under Peter's guard, palm flying towards his chest. Peter narrowly evades the attack. His strength had never been hand to hand combat, and knows that he cannot win this fight fairly.

Peter reaches into his pocket to retrieve Riptide, only to realize halfway that he did not have the sword. In this world, he did not even know Chiron.

Clarisse uses this moment to strike out again, leg kicking out, aiming for Peter's feet. Peter is too slow, and Clarisse manages to sweep Peter's feet out from underneath him. Peter lands on his back, trying to catch his breath.

Clarisse bends down and grabs the collar of Peter's shirt. "Not so tough now, huh, new kid?"

Peter is angry that Clarisse managed to get the better of him. But he still has one more trick. Closing his eyes, he reaches out, trying to feel the water.

Clarisse shakes him roughly. "New kid! Face me when I'm talking!" Peter focuses harder, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. Clarisse takes this as defiance, and begins to yell at him to stand up and _fight_ so she can teach him some more respect.

Peter tries very hard to feel the water, to control it. But there is nothing there. There is no familiar sensation of being near water, no familiar tug of the gut when he controls and uses it. Peter opens his eyes, and suddenly is very angry.

Clarisse is still in front of him, yelling obscene things at him. But there is nothing he can do to stop her, because he has nothing. His control over water has left him, and his sword does not belong to him now.

Peter flies into rage, bowling Clarisse over with pure strength. Using his weight, he pins Clarisse down. Clarisse, shocked by Peter's suddenly ferocity, sputters, "What are you doing!? You dirty..! Do you fight with no honor!?"

Peter smiles darkly. There is a satisfaction to change from the prey to the predator. He reaches down, and rests his hand on Clarisse's neck. It would be so easy to snap it, to assert his power.

Clarisse seems to realize what Peter is about to do, and begins to scream. Peter snarls in wordless fury and begins to press down, trying to choke Clarisse to make her stop.

But it is already to late. Chiron gallops towards the two, and, in a heartbeat, realizes what Peter is about to do.

Peter, sensing the arrival of his old teacher, looks up and smiles. Peter waits for some sign of recognition from Chiron, and only finds fear and worry.

And then Peter finally realizes. All the people he knew, the friends he made as Percy...they were not truly his friends any more. They didn't remember him, after all, because nothing in his life as Percy had truly happened in this world.

Only now, seeing the sadness in Chiron's eyes, did Peter piece together the mysteries: why Clarisse didn't know him, why Grover and Annabeth show up to greet him.

Peter gets angrier, because all of his hopes and dreams are dashed away in a second. When he woke up and remembered his life as Percy, he was so ecstatic to be able to meet up with his old friends. But realizing that they didn't know him anymore...

Peter's hand clenches and Clarisse, under him, gasps in fear. Chiron seems to realize that Peter wasn't going to stop, and acts quickly.

Peter feels a blunt object hitting him in the side of his head, and darkness takes him away again.


	5. Chapter 5

V.

"I don't know what happened, sir...He was never like this before. Do you think something may have...?"

"I don't know either, my boy. Perhaps we should consult...But either way, watch him carefully for me. We wouldn't want anything else to happen, should his behavior be the result of some malignant spirit..."

"Yes, sir."

Peter awakes to a blinding headache. Rolling over, he realizes that he is laying on a bed. Suddenly, the memories came flooding back. I almost killed Clarisse, Peter thinks, horrified.

His face goes pale at his behavior and the consequences. Chiron was there, Peter remembers, And what if he kicks me out of camp?

Opening his eyes, Peter notices that he is back in the infirmary. Silenos is still beside him, snoring lightly, asleep.

"Hey, are you awake?"

The voice is so hauntingly familiar, and just as Peter turns to face the speaker, he realizes who she is. Annabeth.

Peter opens his mouth the respond, but another voice cuts him off.

"Err, yeah. Um...where am I?"

Peter looks and sees a black haired, green eyed boy with a minotaur horn laying on the cabinet next to his bed.

"Here. Drink this, it'll help." Annabeth walks over past Peter to grab a glass of ambrosia. Peter's eyes follow her movements, but when she passes his bed, she does not even turn her head to acknowledge him.

Annabeth returns to the other boy and offers him the drink. "We found you on the outskirts of camp. Grover dragged you in. What's your name?"

The boy pauses, as if recollecting his thoughts, and replies, "Percy Jackson."

And at this moment Peter realizes that he could never be with Annabeth again. This world's Percy would fall in love with her, just as Peter did in his life as Percy. There would be no room for the worthless, no-name Peter.

But he still had to try. He listens in on their conversation, but dared not to interrupt. What if Annabeth waved him away, ignored him? Peter plans to get close to Annabeth gradually, to integrate himself into her life.

When Percy and Annabeth leave the infirmary, Peter follows silently. Silenos wakes and stares after the three, blearily. Peter does not realize when Silenos gets up and tails him.

When Percy meets Clarisse, Peter is silently rooting for her to destroy Percy, to beat him to the ground without mercy. Clarisse even seems to hear him, and attacks Percy with more vigor than Peter remembered from his own life. Perhaps Peter's attack kindled her anger.

But just as it seemed clear that Clarisse was the winner, Percy, though some unforeseen strength, manages to summon the water from the bathrooms and defeat Clarisse with it.

Peter turns away, unable to watch as Percy uses the power that Peter once wielded with pride.

Silenos catches up with Peter and leads him away from the scene. "You okay? I saw you leaving the infirmary...Anyways, let me show you to where you'll be staying." Peter looks closely at Silenos, searching for any sign of accusation for what happened yesterday.

Finding none, Peter nods and follows. Silenos leads him past a series of cabins, and before long Peter realizes that his friend is leading him to the Hermes cabin.

"This is the cabin of Hermes -the god of travelers. You'll be staying here until you're claimed."

Peter nods offhandedly, having known this already. He walks inside, wondering if Luke is there to greet him.

No such thing happens.

There's nobody there waiting for him. The empty cabin stares back at Peter's hopeful gaze. But of course, Peter realizes, because it's midday and that is when the camp events begin. Nobody would miss that.

Peter walks over to an empty bedroll and realizes that he has nothing to put down. His backpack must've fallen off when he had been attacked by the hellhound. But he is not worried. He knows that the camp has extra clothing and other necessities for these types of situations.

"Why don't I take you around camp? You know, show you around?" Silenos stands right outside of the cabin, beside the door.

Peter shakes his head mutedly. He wants to think, just by himself, for a moment. A lot has happened after all -it seemed to Peter that his life was destroyed the instant he attacked Clarisse. _What will they think of me?_ That is the question that Peter wonders.

Silenos hadn't made any sudden gestures, or even mentioned what Peter had done yet. Is Chiron testing him? Plotting something? These thoughts make him sick.

Silenos sighs at Peter's answer. "I know you're not feeling to well, but try to settle in, okay? If you ever need help, just come to the Big House. It's the large house you see over there." Silenos points in the opposite direction, and, seeing that Peter understood, leaves.

Peter sits, alone in the cabin, for a while. He watches the sun dim slowly as time trickles away. He does not want to leave, for he is afraid to see Annabeth with Percy again. He does not want to be reminded of his lost friendships.

Slowly, life returns to camp. The campers return from the camp activities and rush over for dinner. Peter picks himself up and exits the cabin, knowing that if he skips dinner, people will start to worry for him.

 _People worrying over me is not such a bad thing_ , Peter decides. _If I can get Annabeth's attention..._

But Peter decides that it would be too troublesome. He does not want to bring more suspicion upon himself, after all.

With slow, trudging steps, he brings himself to the pavilion where the other campers are having dinner.

He gets his food, but then stops at the bonfire. It was his turn to make a sacrifice to the gods. His hand twitches, but stills. Peter realizes that he cannot sacrifice to Poseidon, because Poseidon does not know him. It would be pointless to. Peter does not value the other gods much either, because none of them have truly done anything for him.

In the end, he decides not to sacrifice anything. Peter beings walking towards the Poseidon table, but falter when he realizes that he is not the son of Poseidon anymore. He changes his course to the Hermes table.

The Hermes campers seem to realize the Peter is new, and welcome him warmly. Peter attempts at a smile, but when he catches a glimpse of Percy, sitting on the other side of the table, talking with Annabeth, it falters.

She is talking to him animatedly about the upcoming capture the flag game, and Peter can't help but feel jealous. _It should be me there_ , he thinks, _I'm Percy...But this boy in front of me, he has taken my place._

Though the campers are amiable, none of them talk to him, content on chatting with the friends instead. Peter eats in silence, watching Percy with distaste.

When they finish their meals, Chiron trots up and announces that the capture the flag game with commence tomorrow.

"And," he adds, "We have two new campers. Please, welcome them to camp. Percy Jackson and Peter Johnson!"

Everyone claps politely, but Peter can see the animosity in some of the Ares campers' eyes when they hear Peter's name announced. No doubt they heard about Peter's attack from Clarisse.

The sun lowers and the moon rises, and Peter finds himself in the Hermes cabin again. Percy is holding a duffel bag, talking to Luke. Luke mentions something about sleeping arrangements, and points to the space next to Peter. Percy nods and walks towards Peter.

Percy sets down his things beside Peter's bed, intent on sleeping in the space beside him. Peter watches Percy, frowning, seething, until he cannot take it any more.

There is a sort of anger, a bitter hate that Peter feels for Percy. Percy had taken away everything Peter had -Annabeth's friendship, prestige, and most of his title. The son of Poseidon.

And Peter just feels the need to hurt. He wants to hurt Percy, and destroy everything Percy has. A petty revenge. Peter knows that it is childish, but he cannot help the hate and jealousy that wells up within him every time Annabeth or Chiron or even Luke smiles at Percy.

And with the feeling in his heart, Peter stands up and pushes Percy over. Percy stumbles backwards, and scowls at him.

"Hey, what's the problem?"

Peter snarls. "You. You're the problem. I -" He cuts off for a moment, thinking quickly. He couldn't express the deep feeling of hate he felt, couldn't explain it with words, and settled for another reason. "I was sleeping there. Get another bed, _idiot_."

Perhaps Peter could've been more eloquent in his retort, but he wasn't thinking straight. Peter's mind was filled with the urge to hurt, the urge to attack. There is no shred of rational thought left.

It is similar to fleeing from a predator. The intent to run, to escape is so strong that it overpowers any other thought, and all the prey can think of is how to run away. Except all Peter feels now is hatred.

Percy is taken aback from Peter's angry response. "Okay, okay, man." And softly, he adds, "No need to be so rude, jeez."

Percy takes the bed next to the space Peter currently occupied, and settles himself down to sleep.

Peter, looking around, realizes that everyone is staring at him. It is quiet in the room. Peter scowls, knowing that he has lost, and pulls his covers over himself. Slowly, the other campers being to lie down as well, forgetting the exchange.

Peter seethes quietly. Because of Percy, Peter was now ostracized by the entire Hermes cabin. Peter rolls over, and catches sight of Percy's body.

Somewhere, deep down, Peter wants to do something. Strangle Percy, perhaps. Or maybe just steal Riptide from him and kill him with his own sword. Peter smiles a little at this, before faltering.

 _What am I thinking!?_ Peter shakes his head. How could he even consider murder? Thinking back on it, what he did was very foolish. To others, he must have appeared antisocial. And antagonizing Percy like that...It would not win him any favors.

 _I was probably just tired,_ Peter decides, and resolves to act more sociable. It was strange, now that he thought about it, how he resorted to violence so easily. But the thought was easily shaken off by the reason that he was just tired from the hellhound attack.

Remembering that tomorrow was the capture the flag game, Peter decides to work hard and hopefully regain the support of his fellow campers.


	6. Chapter 6

VI.

When Peter awakes, he realizes that all the campers in the Hermes cabin are already bustling around, hurrying in and out of the cabin with large bags. It takes him a few moments to gather his bearings, and when he does, he realizes that the campers must be in a rush to prepare for the capture the flag game.

Even Percy, who had been sleeping beside him, had disappeared, presumably to look for armor.

With these thoughts sorted out, Peter suddenly feels very lost. The other campers file around him, ignoring him in their haste.

Peter knows where the armory is and where to line up for the game, but he is a new camper in this world. It is unlikely that any sets of armor are saved for him, and he does not even know what team he belongs to in the game.

Uncertain, Peter decides to stand to one side, watching the other campers awkwardly.

"Hey, do you need some help?"

Peter turns, and realizes that Luke is speaking to him. "Err, what should I be doing?"

Luke grins at him apologetically. "You probably don't know, huh?" _Of course I wouldn't know,_ Peter thinks, annoyed. "But here, I got some armor for you."

Luke tosses a breastplate to him and Peter narrowly manages to catch it, arms sagging from the weight. He had forgotten how heavy these things were -As Percy, he didn't need to wear armor anymore because of his Achilles' curse.

"Do you need help putting it on?"

Peter glances at Luke and sighs, aggravated. "I know how to do it," he mutters, and begins to don the armor. Luke only shrugs and walks away to help another camper.

In the end, Peter realizes that he cannot tie the straps of the breastplate behind him, and he reluctantly swallows his pride to ask another camper for help.

Soon Chiron trots around to call the campers to arms. Peter follows the rest of the Hermes cabin to the fields.

Peter looks around, and sees the campers of the other cabins all walking towards the field. His eyes wander towards the Athena cabin, and finally lands on Annabeth.

She is talking to another person animatedly, smiling and laughing. Peter watches this, frowning. He follows Annabeth's gaze to the person talking to her and he almost trips when he realizes that Annabeth is talking to Percy.

Jealousy once again bubbles up within Peter, but he pushes these feelings down, tearing his eyes away from the two to focus in front of him. He tries to ignore those dark feelings within him, tries to forget about what he just saw.

He can't.

When they finally arrive, Chiron trots to the front of the group to quickly recount the rules. Peter knows all the rules already, of course -no maiming, killing, or inflicting grave injuries upon another camper.

After Chiron finishes, the campers break into two teams, red and blue. The Hermes cabin dons their red helmets, and Peter and Percy follow, grabbing their own red helmets.

Peter belatedly realizes that Annabeth is on the opposing team. He tries to ignore Percy's smiling and waving at Annabeth, feeling sick.

Red team assembles at the edge of the forest. The cabins assembled their stick to their own, unwilling to mingle with the other campers. Peter stands with the Hermes cabin, and Luke starts listing roles.

He talks extensively about the positioning of the red flag and the possible locations of the green one. Peter listens with only half an ear, until he hears his name.

"Peter and Percy...well, you guys are new and probably don't know much about sword fighting. For this game, how about you guys just stick to the sidelines and watch? Maybe next time, when you're more well versed in swordplay.." He trails off, looking for out approval.

Percy shrugs and steps aside for the other red team members to walk past him, but Peter isn't going to just watch the game.

The red team files out into the forests, the players moving to their designated positions. Soon the clearing is empty, except for the few campers who stayed behind to guard the flag.

Peter begins to walk towards the forest, intending to join the battle. Percy sees this, and tries to stop him.

"Didn't Luke ask you to stay here?" Percy tugs on Peter's arm, pulling him back. Peter shakes him off roughly and replies, "Mind your own business. I'm just going to have a look over there."

And Peter promptly follows the other campers into the forest. As Peter hacks away at the dense undergrowth, he absentmindedly recalls that he has never been in this part of the forest before.

Then he realizes that he has always played for the green team, starting at the other end of the forest. The part of the forest he was in right now...he had no clue where he was.

Scowling to himself, Peter decides to retrace his steps. It would be even more embarrassing to get lost in the forest. He tries closing his eyes to listen for sounds of battle, but the other campers were already too far away to be heard.

Mind made up, Peter begins to walk back. Knowing that Percy and the campers guarding the flag would still be in the clearing, Peter decides to stop at a small shrub near the clearing. It would be embarrassing if he had to come back to the clearing because he got lost, so Peter decides to wait until the game finished before revealing himself.

Just as he settled himself down to wait, he realizes there are sounds of fighting in the clearing. Standing up to get a better look, he sees that the guards are knocked out, and Percy is fighting multiple enemies.

"Not so tough anymore huh, squirt?" Clarisse sneers are Percy, who is swinging his sword around, trying to fend off the Ares campers.

Peter's grip on his sword tightens, and he pauses. He could go and help Percy, who was slowly being backed into a corner, or he could just stay and watch. Peter smiles and relaxes his sword arm, leaning on a tree, enjoying the view. Percy had caused him so much grief, after all. Why not return the favor?

As Clarisse and her campers advanced on Percy, Peter could hear distant shouts. Peter realizes that the game must've ended, that the red team must've taken the green team's flag.

A small part of Peter still wants him to walk over to Clarisse and tell her that the game is over, but Peter stays. He is enjoying the far too much.

Clarisse backs Percy in a stream, and Percy cannot move backwards any further. Peter watches in glee, until he notices that Percy is about to step into the stream.

And suddenly there is growling behind him, and Peter whips around to see red eyes staring back at him. Peter raises his sword instinctively, and the hellhound stalks forward slowly.

Peter notices that the hellhound wasn't looking at him; rather, it was staring at Percy's unprotected back. Peter remembers back to his first day at camp as Percy, and realizes that the hellhound in front of him must've been the one that had attacked him that day.

In this moment, Peter could step aside and let the hellhound attack Percy, or stop it and kill it. The decision was made a long time ago.

Smiling, Peter steps aside.

In one lunge, the hellhound crosses the distance between it and Percy and leaps on top of him, biting down. Clarisse shrieks and backs up, the other Ares campers following her.

The hellhound pushes Percy to the ground, proceeding to rip and tear at him. Peter gleefully cheers it on.

But then the hellhound pushes Percy into the stream, and suddenly Percy's wounds are healing. Peter snarls, realizing Poseidon's power, as Percy raises his hand and pushes a torrent of water at the hellhound.

The water unbalances the hellhound, making it slip and fall off of Percy's chest. Taking the moment of distraction, Percy leaps up and smoothly cuts off the hellhound's head.

By the time Percy manages to dispatch the beast, the campers are already gathered at the clearing, watching in awe. Chiron walks up the Percy and points at the space above his head, nodding.

"Hail the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, Earthshaker."

About Percy, a glowing trident shines proudly. Percy's eyes are aglow with wonder, and the campers around him are silent in awe.

Peter only feels anger.


	7. Chapter 7

VII.

After Percy is claimed, he is quickly moved to the Poseidon cabin, taking all his belongings with him.

Peter remains at the Hermes cabin, alone and unclaimed. The other Hermes campers are fine company, sure, but Peter has no real friends. Even Silenos is busy these days.

Luke begins to tutor Percy in sword fighting, and during his first lesson, Percy manages to disarm the more experienced camper. After that, many campers begin to gather around to watch Percy fight.

Meanwhile, Chiron invites Peter to test out different activities: running, sword fighting, archery, chess, and many more. Peter does not seem exceptional on any of these fronts, and when Peter enters the water to attempt canoeing with a tiny flicker of hope that maybe, _maybe_ he is still Poseidon's son, he can only manage to lose control of the canoe and fall out.

In the end, Peter is left behind as Percy continues to become more popular, more well known, more respected. Now Peter begins to avoid Percy; Annabeth often walks with him, and Peter cannot stand the sight.

And so life at camp continued. For Percy, it was a nice change, a way to cope with the loss of his mother, perhaps. For Peter, it was only a reminder of what he had lost.

And one day, Peter overhears something very interesting. Something about...a stolen lightning bolt.

"The truth is, Percy...Zeus believes that you have stolen the master bolt." Peter can see Chiron pacing back and forth on the porch of the Big House.

It is nighttime, and Peter was just taking a walk beside the lake when he hears a conversation. Naturally, Peter beings to eavesdrop. He is hiding beside the wall, just out of sight.

"But I haven't!" Percy's voice rings out, alarmed, and Peter scowls.

"No matter if you have or have not, Poseidon has claimed you as his son. You are, of course, the primary suspect. If you fail to deliver the bolt by the winter solstice...Well." Chiron's pacing begins to pick up speed. "Times are dark, my boy," he says, "It's best if you can find the bolt and return it soon, regardless of who took it."

Peter understands the gist of the conversation. After all, he knows what will happen from his past life: Ares will have stolen the bolt and given it to Hades, and, through a series of difficult challenges, Percy will steal the bolt back from Hades and hurry back just in time to stop the Olympian's war.

Peter also knows that the winter solstice is approaching. Soon, a quest will be given to Percy. And Peter realizes that if he is to gain any sort of recognition from his fellow campers, he will have to stop Percy.

At any means, Peter must be the one to return the lightning bolt to Zeus. That is the only way he can regain some shadow of his past life, some hint of is past glory.

In a way, Peter regrets being so cruel to Percy. Easily, he could have made friends with the other boy. But they are too different: Percy is too young, to naive. And Peter is too old, too bitter.

With this goal in mind, Peter beings to plot. And the first thing to do is to enlist a certain someone's help.

The next morning, Peter tells Luke that he wants to talk the him privately. After the rest of the Hermes campers leave, Luke turns to Peter.

"So, what do you need?"

Peter gazes at Luke steadily, hoping that Luke will not stab him in the back for revealing this secret. "I know you're working for Kronos," Peter begins, watching very closely.

Luke just smiles back. "What an interesting accusation," Luke says, as if he didn't care that Peter had just revealed Luke as a traitor. "Whatever makes you think that?"

Peter shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. I overheard last night that Percy was going to take a quest to find Zeus's lightning bolt. I know you don't want him to return the bolt, so I'm offering to help you -I'll steal the bolt back and return it to you."

Peter's words come out rushed, his heart beating fast. Who knows what Luke will do to him, now that he's revealed his knowledge?

Luke continues to wear that infuriating smile. "How creative your imagination is. Perhaps you should get more sleep at night." And Luke exits the cabin, leaving Peter alone in the room.

Peter wonders if Luke has just accept his offer or denied it. But if Luke was also against him, it would make this game much more difficult to play.

It turns out that Peter is not so alone when he wakes up the next morning and discovers a small package beside his bed containing a blue marble.

Picking it up and depositing it into his pocket, Peter casts Luke a meaningful glance and leaves to prepare for the long journey to Hades' kingdom.

Meanwhile, Percy talks to the oracle, and begins his quest, choosing Annabeth and Grover as his companions.


	8. Chapter 8

VIII.

Peter tails the three as they leave camp, following silently, always a step behind. They never notice.

Peter knows where Percy is going, and knows what trials he must face to get there. The exploding bus, Medusa's garden -he's done it all before, so he knows. So instead of following the three onto the bus, Peter takes a shortcut to Auntie M's.

There, beside the emporium, Peter sits, hidden. As he waits, he fingers the blue marble curiously. What made Luke give a marble to him? Perhaps Luke though Peter was a worthy investment. Peter smiles a little at this thought. It felt good to be important again.

It takes a while, but Percy finally arrives. They stumble into the emporium without even checking for traps or monsters. Peter scowls a little at their stupidity, but they are young after all. Peter has already learned the hard way to be cautious.

Peter is patient, and he sits there, waiting, until Percy, Annabeth, and Grover stumble out of the emporium, bleeding and breathing heavily and holding a decapitated head.

Percy is holding a blue marble up, inspecting it from every angle. At this, Peter clutches his marble even closer, and holds it lovingly. To Peter, his marble was a sign of faith -Luke's faith in him... _Kronos'_ faith in him.

This thought makes him shudder a little, and Peter shakes these thoughts away and focuses on eavesdropping on Percy's conversation. Peter realizes that Percy's next journey is to the St. Louis Arch, where he will be attacked by a chimera.

After Percy and his crew leaves, Peter gets up from his hiding spot and leaves for the arch.

Peter remembers that he fell off the arch when the chimera attacked. In his past life, Poseidon had saved him by cushioning his fall into the water below. Peter tries not to think about his father that was not his father any more.

Peter arrives at the arch earlier than Percy does, and settles himself down to wait again. Peter wants to make sure that Percy collects the orbs safely and reaches the Underworld, as Peter knows that he cannot face Hades alone.

Peter's plan was to follow the three into the Underworld and watch their confrontation with Hades. After they steal the lightning bolt back and flee with their orbs, Peter plans to follow them by activating his own orb. Then Ares will provide as a distraction for Peter to steal the lightning bolt from Percy and hand it back to the gods, where he will get recognition for his deeds.

It seems like a good plan, until Peter realizes that something is very wrong. Percy had already gone into the elevator taking him to the top of the arch, but, from Peter's memory, Annabeth and Grover had stayed behind.

Annabeth and Grover were nowhere in sight. They must have stayed in the elevator with Percy. The blood drains from Peter's face as he realizes the danger to two must be in. They had no godly parent to save them from the fall from the arch.

Peter runs to the elevator just as the doors open and throws himself into the empty box, hastily pressing the button for the highest floor. As the elevator slowly ascended, Peter begins to panic.

Every second spent in the elevator waiting for his floor is another second wasted from saving Annabeth and Grover. Peter prays that he would reach the top floor soon, and begins to pace back and forth restlessly.

Finally, the doors opened and Peter throws himself outwards, hands outstretched, until he realizes that he has no weapon. In front of him, he can see Annabeth dangling from the edge of the arch where a section of it has been blown off.

Peter offhandedly realizes that Percy must already have fallen off and notices that Grover is standing to one side, bleating incoherently.

Without thinking, Peter throws himself onto the chimera, who shrieks at the attack. Annabeth and Grover also look up in surprise. The chimera easily flings Peter off and he lands just off the edge of the arch.

Seeing Annabeth and Grover's panicked looks, Peter closes his eyes and shouts, "Run!" The two, jarred from their stunned silence, begin to scramble for the elevator.

The chimera turns to follow them, but Peter picks himself up and attacks the chimera again. The chimera scoffs at the interruption and suddenly Peter feels himself being bitten.

Looking downwards, he sees a snake coiling around his ankle, jaws firmly sunk into his calf. The chimera gave another push and Peter flies away, and skids on the floor of the arch. Intending to finish the job, the chimera runs at Peter and kicks him off of the arch.

And suddenly Peter is flying.

He can see the world flying by fast, and realizes that he will die when he hits the water the because the impact is too hard and he has no godly parent to save him now.

But even though Peter knows that he is alone in this world, he still closes his eyes and prays. Prays to every deity he can think of, because he does not want to die. It was too soon, he was too young.

And then time suddenly stops, and Peter is enveloped in a warm embrace.

The sudden change from freefalling to being suspended is so staggering that Peter's eyes jerk open in surprise.

In front of him is a world suspended in time, grey and lifeless. Yet it is oddly beautiful, and Peter takes a moment to stare. Under him, he can see multitudes of people pointing at him, mouths open in exclamation.

Looking closer, he can spot Annabeth and Grover in the crowd, too, but they are looking down instead, searching for Percy. This thought makes Peter a little annoyed, but he is too grateful to stay angry.

He was alive, after all, and that was something to be thankful for. A low, gravely voice interrupts his musings.

"Surprise." Peter turns around and sees a black shadow, an anomaly in the grey scenery.

Peter takes a step back, before realizing that he cannot show fear. "Why did you save me?"

The fabric of space in the shadow stretches into a smile. "Why not? You have potential."

"I'm not going to join you."

"In time you will."

"I have my own agenda."

"And I will help you."

Peter opened his mouth to respond, but then stops, intrigued. "Really? You will help me? What if I wanted to kill you?"

There is a low chuckle. "Do you want to? If you join me, I'll also give you whatever you desire. Think of it as a mutual partnership."

Peter knows that he should not be so tempted, but there is something about this that makes him smile. "Anything I desire? What if I desire...power?"

The being stares at him knowingly. "Of course. Your fatal flaw isn't loyalty anymore, is it? It's _power_." It smiles widely. "I can offer you anything. I can restore your powers, if you want. You can control of the water again, if you wish. Anything for my little hero."

The answer is on the tip of Peter's tongue, but Peter hesitates. "What do you want from me?"

A swift answer: "It's simple. I want you to help me get the lightning bolt. You wanted to return the bolt to the gods for recognition, yes? But if you give it to me, I can offer you so much more. Power, fame, knowledge...It is all within my grasp. Once we overthrow the gods, you will have everything you desire!"

Peter smiles. "I'll think about it," he replies, but inside, he knows that he has already accepted. When Kronos had saved him, he had already decided his allegiance. After all, in this world, what have the gods ever done for him?

And Kronos knows this too.


	9. Chapter 9

IX.

As soon as Peter reaches safety, time returns to normal. Peter dips his head and tries to walk away inconspicuously, and, from the corner of his eye, he can see the onlookers looking around in confusion: where had the mysterious boy who had fallen from the arch disappeared to?

To his left, Peter could also see Annabeth and Grover rescuing Percy from the body of water he had fallen into. Offhandedly Peter realizes that Annabeth and Grover had seen him on the arch, and that they would probably be looking for him as they resumed their journey.

Peter thinks for a moment, then walks towards the trio, footsteps loud and clattering against the pavement. The three look up at the noise, and each have an expression of surprise and suspicion.

"Hello," Peter offers, unsure of how to go about their conversation. Peter knows that if Percy and his friends actively sought him during their journey, it would be difficult to stay hidden. If Peter offers his help, then perhaps he can get closer to them and then betray them when they have the lightning bolt.

"Why are you here?" Percy's voice cuts in, sharp. "You're not part of this quest; why did you follow us?"  
Part of Peter wants to retaliate -how selfish could Percy be, thinking that the world revolved around him? But Peter holds his tongue and replies, "Sorry, it's just...I saw you guys leaving, and I couldn't help but follow. It's really boring in camp, and I just wanted to have a taste of adventure." These blatant lies flow out of Peter easily.

Annabeth steps forward. "I saw you on the arch, with the chimera. I saw you fall. How did you survive?"

"I don't really know. One second I'm falling, and the next, I'm standing on the ground again. Maybe it was some godly intervention?" Peter smiles sheepishly.

Annabeth gullibly accepts this as truth and hums in thought. "You haven't been claimed yet, have you? I wonder who your godly parent is..."

At this reminder, Peter scowls a little, but then turns to Percy. "I'm sorry I followed you, but we've already gone so far. It'd be dangerous for me to return alone...Can I join you guys?"

Percy frowns and replies, "It's not safe with us, either. We're going to Hades' realm, and it's dangerous down there."

Peter shakes his head. "I just don't feel secure going back alone. New York is so far away..." Peter tries his best to act scared while inside, he is secretly feeling annoyed at Percy's insistence.

But surprisingly, Percy gives in easily. "Oh fine. You can join us. Just...don't get in the way."

Perhaps it was Percy's fatal flaw of loyalty that made him accept so quickly; he probably wasn't secure with letting a _comrade_ go somewhere they weren't comfortable with going. Peter laughs a little at this. If only Percy knew.

In the end, they travel together. If Annabeth or Grover are disgruntled by this fact, they don't show it.

Peter tries to stay out of their scuffles. Whenever Percy asks Peter for his opinion, Peter usually answers with a lazy shrug. After all, he couldn't care less what Percy did, as long as he stayed alive long enough to retrieve the lightning bolt.

The rest of the trip is relatively silent. Peter wonders if it was quiet because of his presence, but doesn't care enough to really ponder it. So what if he was bothering the group? Peter wasn't going to stay long, after all. After he got his hands on the lightning bolt...

When they finally arrive at Las Vegas, Peter remembers the Lotus Casino. Soon enough, they near the doors of the hotel. The doorman walks up to them smiling and offering a hand.

"You look weary, traveler. Why not stay a night at the Lotus Hotel and Casino?"

As if by some sort of magic, Percy and his companions readily accept. Peter, however, declines the offer. He does not want to waste his days away in a fantasy land.

"Why not?" Percy asks, puzzled.

Peter wracks his mind for an answer, and excuse. "I just need to do something really quick. Don't worry about me; you guys head in, and I'll join you."

Percy reluctantly parts with Peter, and enters the casino. Annabeth and Grover trail behind him without a word, Annabeth giving Peter a suspicious look but ultimately following Percy's decisions.

Peter knows that Percy will be stuck in the hotel for five days before realizing that something was wrong, and settles down to wait in a nearby motel.

Five days finally pass, and Peter meets up with Percy right outside the hotel. Percy is frantic, dragging Annabeth and Grover along, probably afraid that the Lotus Casino's charm will draw them back in.

"What's the date?" Percy asks, looking at Peter searchingly. Peter replies nonchalantly, and watches with glee as Percy's face lights up in panic.

"We only have one day left until the winter solstice," Percy mutters, "We've got to hurry."

Annabeth nods in agreement but turns to Peter, giving him a searching look. "We were in there for five days. Didn't you get worried when we didn't leave? For that matter, you said you would join us. You didn't even go into the hotel, did you?"

Peter smiles flatly. "I wasn't worried because this is your quest; what if you had found something important in the hotel? The thing I needed to do ended up taking longer than I had expected. But aren't you glad I didn't join you? Otherwise, I would've been trapped too."

Annabeth is not cowed. "There's not way-" she begins, but Percy steps between the two.

"Look, I know we're all stressed because the deadline is approaching, but please, let's just drop the accusations. Right now, we need to get to the Underworld, and quickly."

In the end, the argument was dropped and the four get on a bus to the West Hollywood. Peter gives the group a few subtle hints, and they easily are able to find their way to the DOA Recording Studios, the location of the Gates of the Underworld.

Peter feels vaguely proud of himself for directing the group directly to the Underworld. He remembers distinctly from his life as Percy being trapped by Procrustes and being tied down to a stretching bed.

Peter feels like he ought to be thanked by someone for his good deed, feels his he should have some recognition for his effort. But by who? This loneliness sinks deeper than Peter expects, and his sadness quickly turns to anger, which is directed at Percy. After all, if Percy did not exist, then Peter would get more recognition from his peers, would he not?

When they enter the lobby of the Underworld, Percy subtly hands Annabeth and Grover each a pearl. Peter watches this exchange from the corner of his eye, and notices as Percy freezes, presumably realizing that he only has three pearls.

"We can't go on," Percy says suddenly. Everyone stops to look at him. "We've only got three pearls. Only three of us can escape from the Underworld. I'm sorry to say this, but...Peter, you'll have the stay outside. It's for your own safety."

Peter knows that there is no way he can get into the Underworld quickly enough to sabotage and steal the lightning bolt alone, so he puts his hand in his pocket and retrieves the pearl Luke had handed him.

Peter splays his hand out, marble on his palm. Percy watches in confusion, and Peter silently snickers at his bewildered expression.

"How?" Percy mutters, "Luke told us there were only three marbles in America." Percy's grip on his own marble tightens, as if he were worried that Peter's marble was stolen. But it is not possible, Percy knows, because four marbles are clearly in sight: one for each member of the group.

Annabeth sweeps Peter with a suspicious glance, but does not speak any of her thoughts. Grover, too, is confused by this change of events.

But eventually Percy relents, because if Peter has a pearl, then for what reason can he make him stay behind? Peter also knows that his trust with the group has run out from the tense aura around him. They are watching his every now, because they must have suspected foul play.

Peter doesn't care, though, because as long as he gets the lightning bolt, everything will be fine. With the power of Kronos on his side, he can do _anything_.

The rest of the trip down goes as expected. They meet with Charon and Cerberus, and manage to get past both of them.

They walk past the Fields of Punishment, and Peter sees people burning in rivers of lava and suffering in their tortures. Peter suddenly realizes the abject horror of death; what if he ends up somewhere like this? But these thoughts are immediately dismissed. After all, when the gods are overthrown, who will rule the Underworld? Perhaps Peter himself could take up the duty. This thought makes his chuckle, and his gaze sweeps past the Fields of Punishment and land on the Elysium.

Behind beautiful gilded gates lay a deep, cerulean lake and majestic buildings. Peter can hear the sound of laughter coming from within. There aren't many people in the Elysium compared to the Fields of Punishment, and Percy notices this too.

"There aren't many people in the Elysium," Percy remarks, "So few people in the world choose to do good things in their lives..." He trails off as Annabeth nods her agreement.

Peter just frowns, because Percy is very, very deluded. It isn't that there are very few people choosing to do good things; it's the skewed system of justice in the Underworld. Achilles slaughtered hundreds of men when he was alive, and yet he was rewarded with Elysium. Why? Because of the gods' prejudice. And when Peter overthrows the gods, he will change that. Make the world a better place. But first, the gods have to go. And before that, he will have the acquire the lightning bolt.

The four continue on their way until Hades' castle finally comes into view on the horizon.

"There!" Percy exclaims, "We're almost there!"

Grover bleats in nervousness. "Sure, Percy, but I-" He is cut off as his shoes suddenly fly into the air and drag him away from Hades's castle.

"Grover!" Percy and Annabeth try to grasp the shoes and pull them off, but they are flying away so quickly that they can't get a good hold on it. Peter watches apathetically from afar as the shoes drag Grover into the chasm.

But Grover manages to cling onto the side of the pit, and Percy and Annabeth rush over to help him. Peter watches as the flying shoes free themselves and fly deeper and deeper into the chasm until they disappear into the darkness completely.

Percy and Annabeth grab Grover and manage to pull him out, and Percy sits down for a moment to regain his breath. When he stands up, he frowns, but shakes his head.

It takes Peter a moment to realize that this is the moment the lightning bolt is placed in Percy's bag. His backpack must be heavier now, as evidenced by Percy's furrowed brows.

Peter hears whispers from the chasm, and Annabeth looks closer.

"This...this must be the entrance to Tartarus..." Annabeth looks understandably frightened, and even Percy seemed unnerved.

"Let's go," he says, and begins to trek uphill out of the tunnel. But as they walk, the earth behind them begins to disappear into the chasm, as if it were sucking the ground in.

"Let's go!" Percy repeats with urgency, and begins to break into a run. Peter and the others follow, and, when they finally make it to safety, they are still unsettled by this occurrence.

"I wonder why..." Annabeth's brows furrow in thought. But shaking her head, she continues, "Hades's castle is right there...Are you guys ready?"

Percy shrugs. "I don't think we'll ever be ready...but no matter what happens, we have the get that bolt." Annabeth and Grover nod in agreement, and they walk towards the gate.

The grotesque images carved onto the gates unnerve the group somewhat, but the grandiose gardens that follow soothe the fear somewhat. The flowers are lined up row by row, separated with small rivers, and Peter thinks it is rather pretty, if not pointless. They walk into the halls of the castle, their footsteps loud against the marble floors.

Skeleton guards stand rigidly beside the doors and sporadically in the hallways, and Percy and Annabeth both unsheathe their weapons in caution. Finally, they reach the throne room.

Percy takes a deep breath, and pushes the door open. They swing open with an ominous rasp, and there Hades is, lounging on his throne, waiting for them.

Hades raises an eyebrow. "You've certainly been taking your time." His voice is low and powerful, and seems to shake the entire room.

Percy swallows. "Uncle," he starts, but he never gets to finish.

Peter knows an opening when he sees one, and he knows that Percy is distracted and afraid, and strikes.

He leaps onto Percy, bowling him over, grasping his neck tight with his hands. Peter curses his lack of weapon and tries to wrest the bag from Percy. But Peter underestimates Percy's strength because Percy is able to quickly roll away from Peter's assault and pick himself up, hands reaching into his pocket for Riptide.

But Peter is faster, and he manages to engage Percy in a fast hand to hand combat, preventing Percy from getting his weapon.

The two are evenly matched, until Peter sees an opening. He darts forwards, ready to knock Percy out with a knife hand to the neck...

And suddenly there is a weapon at Peter's throat, and Peter stops abruptly in his assault, but not quickly enough to avoid a small cut on his neck.

Peter realizes his mistake: as he fought Percy, he had forgotten about Annabeth and Grover. And now he is paying for it in blood.

"Stop right there," Annabeth hisses, and pulls the knife closer to Peter's throat. Peter instinctively backs up a few paces, trying to keep his throat as far away as possible from the weapon.

Percy gets back up, and Peter knows that he has lost.

"If you make any suddenly movements, I'll..." Annabeth falters, but then, with more conviction, "I'll _kill_ you."

Peter really doubts Annabeth has the strength to slit his neck, but decides not to test it, raising his hands in surrender.

Hades claps his hands slowly, and Annabeth turns sharply at the noise. Peter winces as the knife brushes his throat again.

"What a show," Hades murmurs, "How grand! Now, are we going to sit here all day, or are we going to talk?"

Even though Peter is in a very bad situation, there is still one card up his sleeve. He closes his eyes and prays, and then takes a deep breath.

And _pulls_.

And there it is, the tug in his gut, and _power_ that he had in his past life. Water gushes into the throne room, engulfing Annabeth. In her panic, she lets go of her knife, and Peter is free.

Percy is similarly bewildered as water comes and attacks him, and Percy raises his hands, as if trying to control the water to obey him, but it doesn't. The water falls on top of Percy and crushes him. Peter smiles in grim satisfaction.

In the onslaught, Percy's bag had fallen off and landed a ways away. Peter walks to it leisurely and opens the bag, grabbing the bolt.

Peter relishes in the power he feels as he holds the weapon. Looking back down, Peter could see Percy's confused and fearful face, and smiles in satisfaction.

Hades is watching from afar, uncaring. After all, Hades had believed that Percy had stolen his helm, hadn't he? If Hades understood that Peter was fighting against Percy, then he has no reason to interfere.

Percy quickly regains his footing and raises Riptide, charging forwards at Peter. But it is already too late for him. Peter takes out his marble and crushes it, watching the helpless look on Percy and Annabeth's faces.

He closes his eyes and chooses his destination.

 _Tartarus_ , he thinks, and he is gone.


End file.
